Long Live the Queen
by Penalt
Summary: On the night before her sixteenth birthday and official coronation as Imperial Princess, Flurry Heart is kidnapped by changelings. Alone, the daughter of Cadance and Shining Armor confronts her destiny. Originally published by myself on
1. Chapter 1

"Hi, Dad," called out the young alicorn princess to her father, as they saw each other at the end of a hall in the Crystal Palace. It was late and most ponies were in their beds by this time.

"So, all ready for your birthday tomorrow, sweetie?" asked Shining Armor to his teenage daughter as he walked towards her.

"Kind of," replied Flurry Heart, as they reached each other. "I mean, I know that the law says on my sixteenth birthday I have to formally become an Imperial Princess and all, but does it have to be in front of everypony?"

"Tomorrow is a very important day," said the middle aged stallion to his filly, as the pair started walking down the hall together. "The whole Crystal Empire will be there to see you. As will your Aunt Twilight."

"Daaaad," said Flurry. "I love Auntie Twilie to bits, but sometimes she can be a little..." She trailed off not wanting to say anything bad about her father's sister.

"She can be a little intense, I know," assured Shining to his daughter. "But you know she loves you."

"I know, it's just..." Flurry trailed off. "Dad, I don't feel like I deserve this. Any of this."

"What do you mean?" asked Shining.

"I mean, Aunt Twilight and her friends have saved Equestria literally dozens of times," said Flurry Heart, as she and her father headed toward her rooms. "You and Mom beat Sombra, beat Chrysalis, and reformed the changelings. All I've ever done is smile and wave."

"Ah, Flurry of my Heart," said Shining. "Up until now, your job _has_ been to smile and wave. You've done a good job of it too. You're ready for more responsibility, which is what tomorrow is all about."

"But I don't deserve it," Flurry insisted. "All I've done, is be lucky enough to be the first natural born alicorn."

"Then do your best to be worthy of the position," said Shining as they reached his daughter's rooms. "For better or worse, you are where, what, and who, you are."

"But what if I mess up? What if I make things worse?" asked Flurry Heart. "What if I turn evil, with minions and a secret fortress and everything?"

"If that happens, dear, we will insist that you use your minions to keep your secret fortress clean and tidy," said Shining Armor, teasing his filly as she made her way into her room.

"But _Daaaad_ ," wailed Flurry Heart turning back to look at her father.

"No matter what, my Flurry," said Shining. "No matter what happens in life, good or bad, your mother and I will always be here for you. Have a good sleep, sweetie. Tomorrow is a big day."

Convinced by her father's logic, Flurry Heart climbed into her bed. It was late, and her father was right. Tomorrow was going to be a big day with an early start. Magically turning out her lights, she rolled under her blankets and closed her eyes to go to sleep. It seemed only moments later when a noise woke her up.

"Is somepony there?" she asked the darkness, beginning to raise her head.

"Quickly! Now!" hissed a voice very near her.

"Mmrrmph," Flurry Heart tried to shout as a cloth was pressed tightly against her muzzle. As she inhaled, a sweet scent filled her nostrils. Her head swam as she tried and failed to summon her magic. The drug she was breathing in stole the strength from limbs. It even stole the strength from her eyelids. As her eyes closed and she faded into unconsciousness she heard one last thing.

"Get her in the bag. We have a long way to go to the hive."

Some unknowable length of time later, Princess Flurry Heart woke up. She could feel the hood on her head that kept her from seeing, and the gag that held her mouth open. She tried to pull the gag and hood both off, but her hooves wouldn't move. It felt like she was sitting in a broad flat chair and her limbs were secured at the fetlocks to it. Something was also blocking her magic. She tried to flutter her wings as a last effort, but they seemed to be strapped to her sides. Her motions apparently attracted the attentions of her captors though.

"She's awake," said one voice. "What do we do?"

"I know," came an answer. "We knock her out again."

"No, you idiot," said a third. "We need her to wake up."

Flurry Heart recognized the tone and cadence of the voices she could hear. Changelings! Which meant she was a prisoner of Chrysalis. The shape shifting queen had tried several schemes of vengeance over the years since her great defeat. It seemed kidnapping Flurry was her latest. As she was pondering this the hood was pulled off, and Flurry looked into the face of a worried looking changeling.

"Oh, are you okay?" the changeling asked.

"Ohoay? Wak ar oo alking agou?" Flurry garbled out past her gag.

"Oh! Sorry," said the changeling, as he reached behind Flurry's head and began to unbuckle the gag. "We had to gag you during the trip here. The drug we used can cause vomiting and we had to make sure your mouth was kept open." The gag came loose and the changeling pulled it free of Flurry's mouth with a surprisingly gently touch.

"W...wat...water," gasped Flurry Heart. Her mouth was as dry as the Saddle Arabian desert.

"Oh, sorry, sorry," apologized the changeling again, hurriedly bringing up a glass with a straw. "We should have realized you would be dried out. It's been two days, after all." Flurry sucked at the offered straw and cool water flowed into her mouth. As she drank, she looked around. She was in a well lit cavern with what looked like at least two or three hundred changelings gathered around her. Resin covered the walls and floor, and Flurry could see she was indeed bound to a throne-like chair.

"What are you going to do with me?" Flurry asked her captors. She was rather proud that her voice was calm. She was the daughter of Shining Armor and Mi Amore Cadenza. She would not show fear. Not matter what.

"You have to understand something," said the changeling drone in front of her. "We are all runaways from Chrysalis's hive. She beat us, yelled at us, made us do terrible things. Most of us haven't had a decent meal in weeks." Behind the drone Flurry could see that several of his companions had discoloured and damaged chitin. Many of them obviously needed to feed, and deeply.

"So, that's it. You intend to eat me? Suck me dry?" demanded Flurry Heart. She began to buck and struggle against her bonds. "You won't take me without a fight!" Flurry's bonds held firm.

"No, no, please," pleaded the changeling, placing a hoof on Flurry's shoulder. "We don't want to eat you, or drain you, or hurt you in any way."

Flurry calmed herself down and asked, "What do you want then?"

"We want someone to feed us," said the changeling with feeling. "We need someone to care for us, someone to command us, to rule us. We need a queen." Flurry could scarcely believe her ears. Surely he didn't mean?

With a flash of green energy, the changeling shattered Flurry's bonds and knelt before her. "Princess Flurry Heart, we beg you. Be our Queen."

Flurry Heart rose from her...throne. She could feel something in the air. A prickling of power and foreshadowing. Destiny. She looked down at the drone, on his knees before her, and at the multitude looking on expectantly. She smiled down at the drone, and placed a hoof on his shoulder. He looked at Flurry's hoof, then up to her face and saw her nod at him. His smile was like the sun coming out from behind the clouds.

Seeing this, the drones all began to kneel in a great wave radiating out from the throne. From somewhere, a chant began. The chant rose, and began to echo within the cavern until it seemed ready to split the walls with its joyful power.

 **"LONG LIVE QUEEN FLURRY HEART! LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!"** "

In the past week the Crystal Empire had gone from joyful celebration, to armed camp. Every inch of the kidnapped princess's rooms had been gone over with a fine toothed comb. Every servant, guard and passerby on the night in question had been found, interrogated, and examined. The only clue that had been found was a vomit stained burlap sack. Magic had revealed that the vomit was Flurry's.

Cadance and Shining had kept up a brave front for their ponies, but servants had reported the sounds of crying going long into the night, coming from the apartments of the Crystal Princess. Shining had spent long days with his sister following up every lead, and equally long nights holding his wife. The strain was beginning to tell.

"Sir!" reported a guard.

"Why are you bothering me?" snapped Shining Armor, examining some hairs that had been found on a window ledge. "This could be important."

"Sir!" insisted the guard. "Lookouts report a force of changelings approaching from the west."

"Changelings? Those mother-buckers!" shouted a suddenly energized Shining. "Call out the guard. To Arms!"

"Sir, wait!" interrupted the guard. "They're flying truce flags."

"Call out the guard anyway," said Shining Armor. "If they try anything we'll make them pay."

The force of some five hundred changelings, led by a covered palanquin, approached the border of the Crystal Empire. A combined force of Imperial and Equestrian troops fully three times their number awaited them. The changelings showed no fear or concern that they were badly outnumbered, and came to a smooth stop just outside the edge of the Empire.

"State your intentions!" called out Shining Armor in a magically enhanced voice. He stood at the head of the combined force. Strong and powerful. Every inch the determined stallion, prepared for any threat or eventuality. Except for one.

The drapes of the palanquin moved aside and a white and pink figure jumped out. Shining's heart seized up in his chest as his daughter walked up toward him. A green and gold crown upon her brow.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to get home, Dad," said Queen Flurry Heart. "But they insisted on following me back. Can I keep them?"


	2. Chapter 2

It had taken a week, but Shining Armor's world had slowly returned to balance. His daughter was back, she had been crowned "Imperial Princess" and she had done a very good thing in liberating a little over five hundred changelings. He whistled slightly as he made his way down the passageway to the throne room. Mid-morning sunlight cascaded through the coloured crystal windows, covering the walls and floor of the passageway in a riot of colours.

Shining's tuneless whistle echoed down the corridor toward the pair of guards standing sentry at the entrance to the throne room. It was the echoing that made him realize something was wrong. There should be at least ten or more petitioners for court and yet, other than the guards, the passage was empty. Shining's whistle trailed off and he walked the rest of the way to the guards in silence.

Who were sweating. On a cool spring day.

"Fellows," said Shining Armor, in as calm a voice as he could manage. "You seem to be a little...tense." The guards looked at each other, then looked at their commander. Hard Stroke, the guard on the left, opened his mouth to speak, when a sudden pair of voices carried through the door behind him and made everything as clear as crystal.

"IT'S NOT 'A PHASE', MOM!" carried Flurry Heart's voice through the throne room door.

"DON'T YOU TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME, YOUNG LADY!" came the equally clear voice of Cadance, his wife.

"Ohhhh, buck," said Shining softly. Only a foalish stallion got between two mares who were fighting. With it being his wife and his filly, well, he had no choice. He had to go in there and make peace. He took a deep breath and schooled his features as he mentally prepared to beard the lionesses in their den. "I'm going in," he said to the guards at the door. "You two stay out here and collect my body when they're done with it."

"Celestia save you, sir," said Hard Stroke quietly, "because we can't."

"Your Highness," said a demure voice from behind him.

"Yes?" said Shining, turning around. His eyes lit on the form of Minute Maid. She was a small thing, with a light blue mane, charcoal coat and a reputation for getting where she needed to be with incredible speed. More importantly for Shining, she was balancing a tray across her withers. Shining moved his gaze from her trim and petite form to the tray she carried, and took in its contents. A selection of Prench chocolates and Caneighdian maple sugar candies. Favorite treats of Flurry Heart and Cadance.

"It's dangerous to go alone. Take these," said the maid.

"Bless you," said Shining, taking the tray off the maid's well-groomed withers. "There could be a ladyship for you in this." Seeing their commander armed and ready, the guards opened the door for their prince, who strode bravely onto the field of battle.

"So," he called out cheerily. "How are my two favorite mares in the world?" At that moment, if looks could kill, Shining Armor would have been a well-cooked corpse. Deep fried, extra crispy. But they couldn't, so all that happened was that both Cadance and his daughter stopped what they were doing and turned to glare at him. Which was the first part of his cunning master plan. Get their attention onto him and off each other.

Cadance was perched half off her throne, crown askew. Shining could practically see the waves of frustration with their daughter coming off of her, and he could hear the subtle sound of grinding teeth. He shifted focus to his daughter, and it took every ounce of determination he had not to do a double take. Flurry, his little Flurry Heart, was wearing a form-fitting black body stocking. With strategically placed holes in the legs showing her fur beneath. Her mane and tail had been dyed teal. Which, combined with her body and wing colouring made for an...interesting contrast.

"So, what seems to be the problem?" asked Shining.

" _Your_ daughter," said Cadance, emphasizing the pronoun, "wants to let those...insects, that followed her home to have free run of the Empire.

"Dad," said Flurry Heart on the heels of Cadance's words. "Tell Mom she's being unreasonable. All I want is a place for my changelings to stay while we set up their new home."

"And I told you," said Cadance heatedly. "If they want to stay in the Crystal Empire, they can transform and become part of Thorax's group."

"And I told you," said Flurry Heart, imitating her mother's tone. "They don't want to transform. They like being how they are, they just don't want to steal love anymore." Both mares sucked in a breath and were about to unload on each other again when Shining activated the second part of his cunning plan.

Moving quickly, he levitated a treat each and telekinetically slid them into each mare's mouth, neatly cutting off their continued verbal assault on each other.

"GlMmmrmf!" came from both mares, as they tried to talk around the savory treats. Once again Shining Armor had the full attention them both, and once again, if looks could kill, Shining would have resembled overly-cooked hay bacon.

"Now that I have your attention, I'd like to offer a theory," said Shining. He turned to his wife, "My love, my life, my wife, perhaps you are seeing the mare in front of you only as your daughter. The little filly who you nursed, whose diapers you changed, who cried on your shoulder when she fell and hurt herself. Maybe you aren't seeing what she is and has become. Maybe you aren't seeing the Imperial Princess or the acclaimed Queen of Changelings." Cadance, still chewing on the gooey chocolate in her mouth, gained a pensive expression as she looked anew at her daughter.

"And you," said Shining, turning right to face his daughter. "The Flurry of my Heart, and the hardest and best thing I have done with my life, perhaps you are too focused on that being your mother in front of you. Maybe you aren't seeing all the responsibilities she has, or how she has to follow those responsibilities, especially when it comes to your new followers. Maybe, for right now, you need to love her a little less as your Mom, and respect her a little more as the Crystal Princess." Flurry looked down at the floor as she took in her father's words, realizing the truth of them. Both mares swallowed as they finally finished their treats, and looked at each other.

Shining held his breath in that moment of silence. For all his outward calm and _sang froid_ he was sweating buckets on the inside.

"I'm sorry," said Flurry Heart and Cadance, at the exact same moment. Mother and daughter caught each other up in a hug and Shining Armor let out his breath in vast relief.

"Flurry," said Cadance, "I recognize that, as much as it may worry me, you are now a queen. But Imperial law is very clear about not allowing organized changelings inside the borders of the Empire. Much as I may want to, I can't allow your subjects into the Empire."

"Are you sure there isn't someway we can do it?" asked Flurry Heart. "They're counting on me to find them a home."

"Ironically, if they were still refugees it would be no problem," said Cadance. "But once they proclaimed you their Queen, they became a nation." Those last words reverberated in Flurry's mind. " _A nation…a nation...a nation._ "

"A nation," Flurry Heart said softly, as the memories of a hundred civics lessons coalesced into a plan. "By Celestia! That's it!"

"What's it?" asked Cadance.

Flurry Heart drew herself up to her full height and lifted her impressive wingspan high. "Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire," she said formally. "I am Queen Flurry Heart of the Flurry Changeling Hive. Do you acknowledge my status as a Queen?"

"Yeeeess," Cadance said slowly, looking sideways at her daughter. Flurry was up to something, but she had both faith and trust in her daughter. "I formally recognize you as an acknowledged and crowned Queen."

"Thank you, Your Highness," said Flurry Heart, suddenly putting a grave formality into her voice. "As a queen, it is my sad duty to inform you, that I hereby formally declare war on the Crystal Empire."

"WHAT?!" shouted Cadance.

"Hostilities will commence in two hours," said Flurry, in that same formal voice. "I request that I be allowed to return to my changelings." Cadance was struck dumb; all she could do was nod in acceptance of the sudden bombshell her daughter had dropped on her.

"Come with me, Your Majesty," said Shining Armor, feeling very, very hurt. His cunning plan had been utterly destroyed by his daughter's unexpected words. "Her Highness has granted you the immunity of the herald, but I must warn you that if you attempt to leave my custody or use magic, I will have no choice but to have you placed in the dungeons."

"I understand, Prince Armor," said Flurry Heart, as she followed her father from the throne room. They walked out of the throne room past the dumbfounded guards, who had heard every word since Shining had walked in. Father and daughter, or rather, Prince and rogue Queen, walked through the rainbow lights filling the hall. Halfway down, they were stopped as Minute Maid appeared in their path.

"Your Highness," said the maid. "I brought a couple of things you might want." Shining Armor looked at the ever-present tray Minute Maid carried. On it were two items: A blindfold, and a lead. Shining nodded, picked up the blindfold and lead, and turned to his daughter.

"Go ahead, Dad...I mean, Prince Armor," said Flurry Heart. "You shouldn't allow me to get a look at your troop dispositions."

Shining Armor sighed and put the blindfold over Flurry's eyes. "What are you playing at, filly of mine?" he asked quietly, fastening the lead to his daughter so she wouldn't run into unseen obstacles.

"Correct me if I am wrong," said Flurry. "But the Crystal Empire is still a signatory to the Geneighva Conventions, correct?" Flurry's words blossomed the light of understanding in Shining's mind as he realized his daughter's gambit. The light spread and warmed his heart as he realized what a clever filly he had helped raise.

"Oh, Flurry," he said, chuckling. "When your Mother figures this out she is going to ground you until Luna gets grey hairs."

"Just make sure my dungeon cell has a comfy bed," said Flurry with a grin. "Lead on, O Prince. I have a war to fight."

Two hours later, across a stretch of snowy ground that marked the border of the Empire, two forces faced off. On the one side, five hundred changelings, led by the only known natural-born alicorn. Facing them were three times their number of Imperial Guard. The changelings were unarmed, except for their excellent natural weapons. The Guard however, were armed with practice weapons. Blunt spears, shields and similar.

"Shining," asked Cadance, "explain to me why our forces are using their practice gear?"

"I'm sorry, dear," said Shining, with a bit of a smirk. "But I can't tell you."

"Out with it," said Cadance. "What in Tartarus is our filly up to?"

"I can't tell you," said Shining Armor, in a sing-song voice. "Seriously though, I can't. You need to act like this is an actual war."

"Shining, she made a formal declaration of war in her persona of Queen," said Cadance, with a bit of anger. "It doesn't get much more real than that."

"Just go with it, love," said Shining. "It should all work out. You'll see."

"Fine," said Cadance, in that deadly tone that all sane husbands rightly feared. "Soldiers of the Crystal Empire!" she commanded, loudly. "ATTACK!" Fifteen hundred crystal ponies charged forward, weapons leveled.

Queen Flurry Heart looked at the ponies charging toward her positions. She had spent the past two hours explaining her plan to her subjects, and each and every one of them had agreed to it. She loved them as much as they loved her, and she desperately hoped her plan would work. The enemy troops drew close to her forces.

"NOW!" she yelled out, simultaneously launching a flare into the sky. "Everyling, do it like we practiced!" As the lead ponies came within a few paces of her lead elements the changelings suddenly keeled over crying out, "Arrrgh." Confused, the guardponies stopped their charge and looked at the fallen changelings in front of them. The Guard began to fan out to try to engage more changelings. But as soon as they came within a few paces of a target, the changeling would promptly collapse to the ground.

One guard poked a fallen changeling with a hoof. The changeling was awake and looked back up at the guard. "Um," asked the guard. "Are you okay?"

"Oh woe is me," said the changeling. "I have been defeated in battle by a mighty crystal pony. I surrender."

"Uh," said the clearly confused guard. "Okay, just stay there for now and somepony will collect you soon." The scene was repeated numerous times, until Queen Flurry Heart found herself surrounded by Imperial Guards who had been able to simply walk through her troops.

"You will never win, vile ponies!" shouted Flurry Heart as she let loose with several arcane blasts from her horn. Not a single one came within yards of any of the guards, who hesitated, unsure of what to do next. In that moment of indecision a wooden practice sword appeared at Flurry's throat.

"Yield, Your Majesty," said Shining Armor. "Thy forces are defeated and my blade is at thy throat. There is no shame in surrendering to a superior force."

"Oh woe is me, I am defeated," said Flurry, melodramatically. "I am your prisoner of war, Prince Armor. Do what you wish with me, only, spare my subjects." Minutes later, Flurry Heart was brought before the victorious Princess.

"Let me get this straight," said Cadance, as she looked at her daughter. "You got me to recognize you as a queen. You declare war. And then you go about losing the war. What was the point?"

"Technically, Your Highness," said Flurry, "we are still at war until a formal peace is signed. As such I invoke the provisions of the Geneighva Conventions for the treatment of prisoners of war." Lightning bolts exploded in Cadance's head as she realized what her daughter had done and why.

"Dear," Cadance said. "I'm not sure right now if I want to hug you or strangle you. But until such time as a formal peace treaty is signed all prisoners of this war will be fed, clothed and housed in full accordance with the Conventions." She looked down at her bold, brave daughter. "Roughly how long do you think the negotiations will last?" she asked, half guessing the answer.

"About as long as it will take to build a new hive," said Flurry Heart.

"Come here," said Cadance with a smile, and moving forward she wrapped her daughter in a huge hug. "Don't scare me like that again, okay?" she whispered in Flurry's ear. "You've grown so much and gotten so brave. Just try to warn me next time you decide to imitate your father or your Aunt Twilight."

The captive changeling's saw their Queen and her mother hugging. They saw Shining Armor looking proudly on and knew their Queen's gambit had been successful. They began to cry out in a great voice:

" **LONG LIVE QUEEN FLURRY HEART, EMPRESS OF OUR HEARTS! LONG LIVE THE QUEEN MOTHER! LONG LIVE THE PRINCE CONSORT!** "

"Prince Consort?" asked Shining Armor, in a low voice. "But we're married."

"I'll explain later dear," said his wife, as the reunited royal family of the Crystal Empire hugged each other, yet again.


End file.
